Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Natalie Portman in Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity"

"Natalie Portman's highly praised, tortured turn in "Black Swan" could send her career into a new galaxy. Literally.As Darren Aronofsky's psychological thriller rallied audiences at the Venice and Telluride film festivals last week, Portman has fielded an offer from Warner Bros. to star in the drama "Gravity."Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow at "Iron Man 2" world premiere on 26 April 2010

Robert Downey Jr. already has committed to a supporting role, but much of the picture is devoted to the female character, who must survive a solitary ordeal much in the way Tom Hanks did in "Cast Away" or James Franco does in "127 Hours", another Telluride sneak screening.In the wake of "Swan" notices, Cuaron finally got the green light from the studio to relay the offer to Portman without requiring a screen test. Portman, who couldn't make it to Telluride's "Swan" screenings Sunday, is expected to read the latest version of the script this week and make her decision shortly.

"Gravity" is slated to shoot at the end of January, before Downey goes off to other engagements.

Natalie Portman looks stunning as her film Black Swan opens the Venice Film Festival.

But it is her turn as the ambitious but psychologically fragile ballet dancer in "Swan," a role she developed with Aronofsky for years, that has wowed studios and filmmakers scrambling to cast her.Scuttlebutt at Telluride after its first screenings is that, based solely on "Swan" reviews during the previous few days, Terrence Malick wants Portman for a Jerry Lee Lewis-related project he's developing with Brad Pitt, and Tom Stoppard ("Shakespeare in Love") also apparently is writing something for her.Natalie Portman, Phil Lamarr and Ashton Kutcher on the set of their film "No Strings" (2011).